US warez sitemaster jailed for 30 months

Big Fish hooked

A US man has been jailed for 30 months for copyright infringement over his involvement in the warez scene.

David M. Fish, 26, of Woodbury, Connecticut, was further sentenced to three years on probation this week after he pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement and circumvention offences. The computer equipment used by Fish to commit the offences was forfeited.

Fish served as the site operator as well as a scripter, equipment supplier, broker and encoder for warez sites between January 2003 and July 2005, according to court papers. His work involved circumventing copyright controls on DVDs and uploading content.

The case is part of Operation Copycat, an investigation by the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office targeting online warez groups that illegally distribute newly-released movies, games, software and music online. Operation Copycat has resulted in 40 convictions thus far as part of a larger federal crackdown against the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials, known as Operation Site Down.

More background on the case, and on Operation Copycat in general, can be found in a DoJ statement here. ®